Wolves, Witches and Giant Alien Monsters
by FantasyFlinger
Summary: "To fight monsters, we created monsters. But to create monsters, we used monsters." Monsters are territorial, which any good Hunter knows. And Hermann was the best. Newt isn't sure whether to fall over blushing or run away screaming when he first meets the man. A Monster AU, to fill the prompt inside. Does contain some Monster OCs. Starts just pre-movie.
1. Chapter 1- Wolves

_Chapter 1- Wolves_

_AN: Hey guys, this story is based on this prompt: Hermann thinks Newt is a monster groupie, a biologist with a fascination for xeno- and para-biology. Thing is, Newt isn't just a groupie, he actually is a monster (vampire/werewolf/paranormal of some kind). Newt is keeping this very, very secret because he knows that Hermann, prior to the injury that crippled him and put him into the R&D part of the game, was a monster hunter of some renown. And there are these giant alien monsters muscling in on their turf and threatening to drive the whole planet to extinction, which is kind of a big deal even for the native Earth monsters, so Newt knows the PPDC can't afford to lose either of their two best scientist to inter-species tensions. All in all, better to keep it on the low-down. Plus. He actually kinda likes the uptight, sarcastic, grouchy SOB. You know, when they're not trying to (metaphorically) kill each other._

_And then, obviously, something happens that forces the secret out into the open (the Drift?), and they have to deal with the fallout. Just gimme some monster/hunter forbidden relationship, filtered through cranky-scientists-who-might-as-well-be-married, please?_

_Bonus points for half the Shatterdome being some form of monster or another, on the grounds that most paranormal creatures are territorial and giant alien lizards trying to invade their planet kind of takes priority._

_Double bonus for the other half being hunters of some stripe or another (Tendo strikes me as either a hunter or a very irreverent vampire, given the rosary) because, well, alien monsters are still monsters, aren't they?_

_And all the bonuses for poor Raleigh (and Yancy) being a thoroughly normal guy who just wanted to help save the world, and has no idea what to do when he's suddenly stuck in the middle of an ancient gang war on top of the war-of-extinction he was already fighting._

_Let the chapter begin!_

* * *

Newt glanced up at Hermann's back and let a silent rush of air through his lips. That had been almost too close, casually mentioning the upcoming lunar peak like that, but thankfully the mathematician was too wrapped up in his equations to even have noticed.

Newt didn't think he'd ever had something better happen in his life when he first met the odd man with a cane and sharp tongue who'd been introduced as his new partner in fighting the invading Kaiju, mix of monster and alien.

Then he'd been rather frostily told his name- Hermann Gottlieb. A name of nightmares for all young monsters. He'd still had a bit of trouble wrapping his head around the fact that this stern man, just a little taller than him, had once been the most dangerous monster hunter on the planet. His opinion had been rather forcefully changed when he'd seen the man throw a disrespectful rookie through a wall. A plasterboard wall, but still.

"Must you stare blankly like that, Doctor Geizler? It really is rather unnerving." Came a dry voice sharp as a blade. He startled and almost fell over before righting himself and glaring balefully at his annoying lab partner. Because that was all they were. Lab partners. Certainly not a retired hunter and a very deeply in secret werewolf who was terrified of and friends with said former hunter, and maybe, just maybe, crushing on him a tiny bit.

"Maybe if you stopped being so annoying with your stupid chalk." He snapped back. That was all in the past. He was relatively harmless now...so long as he didn't find out that was. He seemed to get along fine with the open monsters amongst the Jaeger crew, but then again none of them were werewolves. Or shared a lab with him. Hermann simply snorted in response and turned to his board, pressing a bit harder than before. Newt screwed up his face and flipped his back a gooey, blue middle finger before turning back to his work.

Hermann caught the action in the reflection of his glasses and rolled his eyes but eased off a bit. Although he would never admit it, the churlish scientist did elicit admiration from him quite a lot. For a start his intelligence was erratic and jumped from place to place but produced amazing results, and he exhibited an unprecedented amount of knowledge of the Kaiju and other monsters' biology and sociology for an ordinary human. He also obviously kept his wits about him, keeping up to date with the lunar cycles (he had caught Newt's comment, yes) and wearing silver near the full moon, or lunar peak as monsters often called it. Parahumans. He corrected. Couldn't be starting another mini war, although he didn't start the first one. That was, unsurprisingly, Chuck. Normally he would be the one starting it, but with the world currently under invasion by giant monsters from space of all the improbable things, there simply wasn't time or reason to, and most rumblings had been quelled by Pentecost or Hermann himself. He wasn't going to hide the fact he enjoyed scaring the monsters. Nor was he going to hide he liked ordering the Hunters about. A whoop came from behind him and he managed to move out of the way easily before some sort of Kaiju organ hit the blackboard he had just been writing on. There was a long pause, shattered by Newt's gulp.

"NEWTON!" Heads turned as Newt, still dripping sterilised Kaiju blood, was chased at an impossible speed through the corridors by an incredibly thunderous looking Hermann. Most monsters, Hunters, and the rare normal humans sped out of the way of the man with the deadly reputation and deadlier glare. Mako stared after them, then began to giggle alongside her technician friend, Louhi Noita. When there was a pained yelp from ahead, their giggles instantly cut off and they tore down the corridor after them.

What they found was not what they expected.

"What is going on here?" Pentecost demanded hotly as he followed them and saw the same thing. Newt shifted nervously, just a bit away from a panting Hermann and the large amount of unconscious bodies around him.

"Um..." The biologist muttered, eyes skittering everywhere, a little bit of blue blood still clinging to him.

"Hermann, my office, now." The Marshall ordered, sharp eyes picking out both monsters and hunters on the floor.

"No Marshall honestly it was my fault I wasn't thinking ran right into them I set them off Hermann was trying to protect me." He rushed out, took a deep breath, then quietly added "Sir."

"Both of you then!" He snapped, turning sharply on his heel. "And Louhi, clean his mess up." He ordered over his shoulder. She sighed but nodded, stepping out of the way of the scientists as they trudged past and pulling a face at Mako, who pulled one back before slinking after Pentecost. She wanted to make sure the two didn't get too scolded for something that wasn't wholly their fault. Sadly, it wasn't going to be easy.


	2. Chapter 2- Witches

Chapter 2- Witches and other monsters

_AN: So you know, I have very little idea where I'm going with this story. I'm trying to follow the prompt but don't really know what to do after that. Huge thanks to everyone that read this, guest Harri for reviewing, and ArmoredSoul, Ink Stained Mind, artsybelle22, Alienea and byIceandSteel for following this story. Huge thanks also to ArmoredSoul, Kaaki Shaman and byIceandSteel for favoriting. If you would like a specific type of 'monster' please let me know!_

Louhi clicked her knuckles, wriggled her fingers, sent some hunters and humans packing with a venomous glare and made an obscure pattern, drawing runes in the air whilst muttering.

Knocked over pieces of furniture was righted. The wall with a huge hole in it slowly refilled itself and closed. Parahumans were sorted from the hunters and placed on either side of the corridor, and a temporary, rather shoddy barrier erected.

Already feeling a bit shaky, the witch began checking the Parahumans over and healing the worst injuries, waking them up with a few murmured words and shooing them. Just as she finished with the last one of the hunters gave a groan and rolled over. Louhi pushed the Skin-walker she had healed down the corridor just as Chuck Hansen blearily opened his eyes and then shut them again.

She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. He pulled himself to his feet, still without noticing her, and stretched carefully. She noticed the flinch and her eyes narrowed even more. Finally he turned, and then jumped when he saw her watching so still. His foot crushed Cheung's hand, but the pilot didn't even react.

"I bet you didn't start this one either." She dryly remarked in her thick Finnish accent even as she used a flick of magic to keep him upright when it looked like he was about to fall on Izzy Sayer, a pilot of the Vulcan Specter. "Where are you hurt Chuck?"

"Nowhere, witch." He growled.

"Oh for Pete's sake!" She cried, throwing her hands up. "Fine! Don't be healed! Don't be able to pilot when you're needed." Indecision warred for a second before it slid behind a mask.

"I don't need your help."

"Chuck!" Came Herc's gravelly, incredibly unimpressed yell. "This is unacceptable! Starting fights, insulting a woman trying to help you." He nodded at her cordially as he marched up and she returned it. It was all she was going to get for a while. "If you won't accept it, I'll take you to the medi-bay and the witches there can heal you." Muttering darkly under his breath Chuck stomped toward her.

She found herself leaning back until she got a hold of herself and ignored his vicious scowl. When he didn't move she rolled her eyes again, grabbed a hold of his shoulder and spun him around, lifting his shirt up to eye the slash and the bruising around it critically. Glancing at the tense muscles in the Ranger's shoulders she placed a hand over the wound and muttered words of healing.

He tensed even more, but then relaxed as he felt the soothing warmth rush from her into the wound, and although he couldn't see it he could feel the wound sealing and the bruise abating a bit before she suddenly pulled back with a sharp intake of breath.

Chuck shook himself of the magical anaesthetic and pulled away, tugging his shirt back down and stalking off down the corridor without even glancing at the significantly paler Witch.

Herc sighed. "Thanks for trying girl."

"No problem." She shrugged, moving over to Cheung to heal his hand and the nasty bite she could see on his arm after a second. With another sigh, the Hunter Ranger walked after his son.

Stretching her arms above her head and smothering a yawn Louhi wandered into the mess hall and scanned her eyes over the tables, grinning when she saw Mako wave to her. Easily wriggling through the crowds she threw a wave back, and to Vick when he shot her a friendly smile with far too sharp teeth. Picking up her salad meal from the softly smiling elf she slid next to them and surveyed the room.

The hunters, which meant all the pilots and some of the technicians and mechanics, sat on one side of the hall. Most of the humans intermingled with them.

On the other side sat the Parahumans, with some humans. However their tables were a bit more difficult.

The witches from different clans had long since learnt to tolerate each other, and even befriend each other sometimes. Thankfully there were no werewolves to deal with, so no clan wars there and no clashes with vamps. The vampires were split into two groups; the vegetarians and the purists. These were very careful not to sit near each other, and normal humans were very careful to not sit too close to the purists.

The skin-changers intermingled with the humans and witches, but otherside tended to stick in groups of animal types.

The different types of fae- Xana, Elves, Elementals, and many more- were careful to keep separate too, from others and each other.

Sadly, all the mermaids had died when the Breach opened or fled to Northern waters to escape the Kaiju.

Vick, probably the most laid-back vampire ever, nudged her in the shoulder while still drinking from his vegetarian juice box, and she followed his gaze to see Newt glide in, wave to a few people on either side and waltz back out again with two meals of beef and potatoes. She rolled her eyes and settled down to listen to the conversation and inhale her meal. Which was about when the alarms went off and three crews were rushed to the loading station.

Newt whistled as he walked through the identical steel corridors, carefully balancing the meals. With his gaze locked on the trays he shuffled back into the lab, looked up...and the whistle died in his throat.

Hermann was casually flipping a silver knife in his hand as he scribbled calculations. Newt swallowed the growl that threatened to rumble from his throat and asked in a voice that trembled far too much for a rockstar

"Er, Hermann? What you doing with that?" Hermann looked at him with irritation, making him twitch, then followed his eyes to the knife. With a curse he dropped it, then with a deep breath reached down to pick it up and seal it in a draw on his desk.

"Sorry, Doctor Geizler. I apologise for worrying you, I was just thinki- did you just call me Hermann again?!" And so it began again.

"-Always get annoyed at the most tiny of-"

"Well excuse me Doctor Geizler if some of us have standards!"

"Yeah, the standards of a fucking grandpa! You were a rockstar! A Hunter, the best Hunter!"

"Don't remind me." His voice was cold. Pentecost attempted to knead away a growing headache and then barged into the room.

"Will you two shut up!" He bellowed. They froze mid-shout. "We are running out of pilots, Jaegers and money, this entire Shatterdome is about to tear itself apart and you two won't stop bickering! I've already had to discipline you once today! Pull yourselves together and get working!" He ordered before turning on their still-frozen forms and stalking out, toward command central. Behind him he heard muted muttering, but it didn't sound angry. He smirked to himself. Good. Tendo, probably the world's oddest hunter, had asked for him on a matter of some importance.

In the lab there was silence for a while as they ate.

"Sorry for snapping." Hermann suddenly muttered. Newt's head snapped up, eyes wide.

"Dude, did- did you just apologise to me?"

"Yes, well, no need to point it out to anyone. I know I surprised you with the knife, that's all." Hermann drew himself up stiffly again. Newt rolled his eyes but he had a huge grin on his face.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say man." And Hermann found himself giving a small smile back, before he quickly hid it behind another mouthful of potato. Easier that way.


	3. Chapter 3- And other monsters

Chapter 3- And giant alien monsters, of course

_AN: The problem I have here is I could definitely save Pentecost or Herc or both and maybe some of the other pilots. Now do you guys want me to? Or do you want me to leave it as canon compliant as possible? Also huge thanks to , Caed, Alienea, Akashiko and LunaDragonPoet but especially to ArmoredSoul for his/her help with the Japanese legend which won't turn up much right now but will be important later. _

"Sir, we just lost the Vulcan Specter and Echo Saber in Sydney. We only have four Jaegers left now, and one of them we don't have pilots for." Pentecost turned away from Tendo slowly as his eyes closed. Inside his mind all the calculations he didn't want to acknowledge flared to the front of his mind. "Sir?"

"Are the Hansens alright?" He asked quietly.

"Er, yes, they're on their way back now."

"Make sure the Striker Eureka is in top condition and the two are rested. Get what parts of Mutavore is possible to the K-science lab. And get me a helicopter. There's a person I need to find."

Hermann groaned when the pager beeped an hour later but moved toward it. He read it twice to be sure and then called out.

"Doctor Geizsler! Its for you." Newt grinned at him as he scraped his hands clean with a half-dissolved cloth and practically bounded over to take it off him. Hermann gave a snort and took a couple of steps back in preparation for the inevitable explosion.

"Yes!" Newt whooped, punching the air. "Lungs, heart and part of a brain? Man, Mutavore sure did give us what we needed. C'mon Hermann, we gotta get to a helicopter and go pick this up!" Though he was practically bouncing in place Newt easily waited until Hermann was wrapped up in his coat, and then kept pace with him almost as if it were second nature, trotting at his heels even through the pushing rain the elementals obviously had been told to let in. Once they were in Hermann relaxed with a relieved sigh, but Newt was leaning forward, thrumming with excitement. The thud of the helicopter stopped the chance for conversation but they didn't really need it, especially when they arrived and saw the organs being loaded into the glass barrels full of sulphurous yellow liquid that they recognised as a witches brew for preservation. Typically Newt hovered around like a mother hen, and Hermann found himself snapping at a clumsy Hunter who almost dropped the lung before it got in the jar. After maybe a couple of hours the organs were all sealed and on the helicopter back. Hermann refused to allow himself to slump gratefully like Newt had, but found himself unconsciously rubbing at the stiffened muscles.

Newt glanced over then back away, unwilling to admit he had noticed in case Hermann managed to make a snide comment about it and ruin any worry he may have felt over it.

They felt it the instant the helicopter broke free of the storm and entered the airspace surrounding the Shatterdome. The Elementals had pushed it back then. Relaxing minutely they found themselves sharing glances and hastily broke gazes. Then a curse from the pilot made its way over the rotor noise and they turned their attention to him.

"What is it?" Hermann yelled.

"They're gearing up for another fight! On the landing area!" The Hunter, Chase, yelled back hotly.

"Get us down there and get these beauties down to the lab as quickly as you can, alright man?" Newt asked loudly. Well, louder than normal. When Chase gave a nod Newt gave him a happy pat on the shoulder and retreated back a bit to glare out of the window as they slowly landed, rotors dying down.

Chase rushed around before they had even stopped to slam the door open and get the ramp in place, grabbing a hold of some Hunter's hanging around in anticipation and letting Hermann scream them into service, hurriedly tugging the specimens through the shifting crowd to the safety of the steel hanger doors even as Newton and Hermann shouted at them to be careful and hurry up for crying out loud.

Hermann was eventually left behind by the Hunters, who were spurred on by a mixture of annoyance at being distracted from the brewing fight and terror at Hermann's threats.

"Wait! Hold it!" He yelled as the doors began to close and another helicopter circled overhead, the procedure before landing. Without thinking Newt braced a hand against one of the doors and effortlessly pushed it open, making the other slide open with it as well and allowing the hunters to rush out and throw themselves into the brawl that was just starting. "Thank you, thank you." Hermann muttered, studying him briefly before his attention was caught by the growing noise outside.

"We still have to wait for the lift." Newt noted. "I'm guessing its little Mako for Pentecost." The Helicopter landed roughly on one of the pads before the passenger doors slid open and the Marshall stormed out, looking around with a tight face. He was followed by a surprised looking middle-aged man wearing worn, layered clothes, with blonde scruffy hair, light stubble and weary blue eyes. "Hermann? Who's that?"

"Its Doctor Gottlieb!" He snapped, before taking a deep breath. "And that is Raleigh Beckett. So no mentioning Knifehead around him, understood?" He ordered sharply as his eyes followed the battling couples. Amazingly he couldn't see Chuck anywhere.

"Alright, alright, sheesh."

"Uh..." Raleigh looked around. "What's happening?"

"You have got to be fucking with me." A dry voice with a Finnish accent came from behind him, and he spun to see a tall, pale woman in her mid twenties with shoulder length curling light blonde hair and grey eyes climbing out of the cockpit, helmet in the process of being thrown haphazardly over her shoulder to land on the co-pilot's chair.

Flanking her was a shorter but paler man with short brown hair and browny-yellow eyes, also wearing a pilot's uniform. He eyed her curiously when she spoke. "They're doing this again?" She held up her hands, made a few sharp angry motions and then stilled them, fingers bent like claws. "Lopettaa!" She cried.

The band of hissing, snarling people- people being a generic term as Raleigh finally got a good look at them- were suddenly encased in what appeared to be a thin layer of ice, steaming gently in the slightly warmer air. The woman swayed but didn't fall, the man placing a steadying hand on her back.

"Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?!" Raleigh cried as he looked around the impossible scene.

"We're having a bit of an ancient species tussle. Every day." The man holding her up explained with a huff.

There was the sound of a large lift followed by gently jogging feet and then a person came from the hangar door, balancing two umbrellas. When they lowered them, Raleigh got a nice surprise. The woman was Asian with curved black hair dipped in blue. She looked bemused to see them and said,

"You are early."

"I'd like you to meet Mako Mori, one of our brightest. Also in charge of the Mark 3 Restoration program. She personally handpicked all of your co-pilot candidates." She nodded in distracted greeting as she looked at him assessingly and spoke to Pentecost in easy Japanese.

"I thought he'd be different."

"Hey." Raleigh caught her attention and inquired in just as easy Japanese, "Better or worse?"

She seemed flustered by his fluency at the language and being caught out.

"Excuse me, Mr Becket. I've heard a lot about you." She apologised, still in Japanese. He nodded in acceptance and she smiled gently back, a faint blush making its way onto her cheeks as Louhi wiggled her eyebrows behind the pilot.

"And this is Louhi Noita." Pentecost continued, gesturing to her and forcing her to put on a calm face as she stopped forward, Vick following closesly, just in case. "Her responsibility will be looking after your health and ensuring that you are at your best condition for duty."

"And this is Vick." The Finnish woman introduced with a heavy smile. "He's a mechani-" Her words cut off as her eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed. Vick seemed ready for it as he smoothly caught her falling body and lifted her up bridal style with a small shake of his head.

"Take her to the medics." Pentecost sighed. "And send someone up here to deal with this mess." Then he turned his attention to Raleigh. "Follow me. By your state of confusion I will assume there were no Witches as part of your team at any point?"

"Witches?" Raleigh repeated incredulously. "No, I wasn't even aware Witches existed until I turned up in the middle of a fight and my helicopter pilot froze them in place." Newt and Hermann shared worried glances at his overly calm tone then promptly ignored the fact they had done that as the five others crammed into the lift with them.

"Well we will tour the facility first and then miss Mori will show you to your Jaeger. After that I'm sure these two will be glad to tell you all you need to know of the current situation." He gestured to the two scientists. Hermann nodded back and Newt did so distractedly as Raliegh looked at them curiously. The lift began to smoothly descend.

"Stand back, Kaiju specimens are extremely rare so look but don't touch please." Newt's voice was on the edge of being an order and Raleigh shuffled back a bit.

"Mr Becket, this is our K-science Division. Dr Gottlieb and Doctor Geizler." Newt made to roll up his sleeves but remembered and thought better of it, instead enthusiastically sticking his hand out after surreptitiously wiping it on the underside of the tank.

"Oh no, call me Newt." He cheerfully told Raleigh as the Ranger took his hand. "Only my mother calls me Doctor." Then he glanced behind him. "Hermann, these are human beings, say hello."

"I have asked you not to refer to me by my first name on this Shatterdome..." Newt began loudly talking over him until Raleigh couldn't understand a thing they were saying, until suddenly Hermann cut Newt off with a harrowing glare. "Please excuse him, he's a monster groupie, he loves them." Hermann rolled his r's delightfully, Newt noticed, even as he muttered

"Shut up Hermann." Then louder, "I don't love them okay, I study them. And unlike some, I'd actually like to see a Kaiju alive and up close one day."

"Trust me," Raliegh assured him as the door opened, "You don't."

It took only a couple of hours for Raleigh to come down and see them. Newt put down his scalpel as he glanced the man over, noting the change of clothes, and hurried to wash his hands as Hermann finished up the last part of his equation and reluctantly dropped his chalk.

"What can we do for ya Raleigh?" Newt asked chirpily.

"Witches exist." He stated frankly. "I did not know this. Discuss." Newt's eyebrows shot up so high they disappeared into his hairline.

"Wow, where to start with that man, er..."

"Witches live in clans," Hermann started instead, a tiny exasperated smile on his face, "And tend to be either dark witches or white witches."

"Yeah, so clans, even if they're both white witches, really don't get along unless there's some huge problem that needs solving, like a demon rising. Now black witches will kill and curse and tend to be the ones actually summoning the demons. White witches, depending on who you talk to, can be stronger or weaker and definitely don't have as many destructive spells, but their healing and levitation powers are absolutely incredible, send energy signatures off the charts-"

"Geizler." Hermann cut him off, drawing his attention to the slightly dazed look on the Ranger's face. "A bit slower, if you please."

"Sorry man," Newt shrugged at Raleigh, "Witches fascinate me."

"And...there are other, er, not human people?" Raleigh tentatively asked, wary of another barrage of information. Thankfully, it was Hermann who answered this time, while Newt enthusiastically nodded his head every few words.

"In this Shatterdome we also have vampires, elves, elementals, Xana, Skin-walkers and Hunters. Vampires can be categorised into two groups- Purists, and Vegetarians. Purists drink human blood, Vegetarians substitute. Because of how long they live they can think of solutions to problems others can't. Elves are incredibly strong and agile. Elementals can get rid of the storms or move things around. Xanas can get any material or change one material into another, although evil Xanas can enchant people to be their slaves."

"Skin-walkers are shapeshifters. They use this to scout out Kaiju or get into the tiny gaps in Jaegers." Newt easily took over. "Hunters used to go out and kill dangerous monsters but giant alien monsters kinda take priority. Parahumans are also really territorial, which comes from the animal side of them, werewolves and witches especially so, which is why there are a tonne of Parahumans in the PPDC, along with hunters."

"So...are there any werewolves here?" Raleigh asked curiously after a couple of seconds. Hermann was certain it hadn't all sunk in yet but was willing to continue.

"No. They are probably the most unstable and dangerous of Parahumans as they have no control over themselves when changed and near the lunar peak, or full moon to you, can get very strong and really emotional, often resulting in injuries to those around." Newt shifted uneasily and swiftly changed the subject.

"We also don't have any Bakeneko here, and they're kinda like the Skin-walkers but they're what we call wild monsters, monsters that don't live among civilisation. We did have a few but they left because a) people were getting annoyed at their pranks and-or wise sayings and b) so they could protect their homes."

"Now if you are satisfied Mr Becket we sadly do have work to do." Hermann nudged.

"Oh er yes, er, yes." Raleigh stuttered. "See you...yes."


	4. Chapter 4- Drift Compatible

_AN: Because I want to I'm going to save all the rangers! If you have a problem with that please let me know. This might also become awkward Louhi/Chuck to tie in with that, I'll have to see. Thanks to FirstbornTheFallen, Saeadame, knightphoenix2, DaCloak, FiveLeggedTango, evadine and STRIKER EUREKA_.

* * *

It was two hours after a deeply in thought Raleigh had left that Marshall Pentecost and his second in command, Herc, turned up. By this point, of course, Hermann had almost finished his equation and Newt was elbow deep in corrosive Kaiju intestines, and as they waited patiently Hermann rounded off the last of his complex algorithms and hurried down the ladder to speak with them.

"At the start the Kaiju attacks were spread out," He started hurriedly, telling them what he had discovered although there were obvious signs that they didn't understand most of what he said. Catching a glimpse of Newt pulling a face he summarised for them instead. "Look, in four days we could see a Kaiju coming every few hours until they are arriving every four minutes. Marshall, in just seven days we could witness a double event."

"Mr Gottlieb, I'm going to drop a 2400 thermonuclear bomb, I need _more_ than a prediction." Pentecost calmly reminded him.

"Well you've got a problem there," Newt smoothly cut in, "Because he can't give you more than a prediction." He threw the entrails he was holding onto the small table nearby and not surprisingly they slid off onto the floor. Hermann knocked them away from his side of the room with a quiet threat in German.

"Numbers do not lie." He continued obstinately to the two officers. "Politics and poetry, promises, those are lies. Numbers are as close as we get to the handwriting of god." An incredulous but thankfully quiet 'what?' from Newt behind him made him snap his next sentence. "Will you be quiet! There will a double event, and shortly there after three, and then four-"

"And then we're dead." Pentecost, still impossibly calm, interrupted him. "I get it."

"Well this is were the good news comes in." He declared, missing the shared glances of Herc and Pentecost behind him. "This is our universe, this is theirs, and this is the throat. The Breach." He was drawing on the hologram table as he spoke. "We know it's atomic in nature. I predict that with the increase of Kaiju traffic the Breach will be forced to stabilise, allowing us to drop the bomb through...and collapse the structure."

It was at times like these that Newt remembered his lab partner wasn't just a scientist- he was a world class hunter. Although he still spoke like a Victorian with most of what he said, he was laying out a strategy like a pro, and his mouth firmed the word 'bomb' easily. Like most times when Newt got freaked out- being reminded he constantly shared space with a killer definitely counted- he got smarmy.

"Now that's brilliant and all, but I wouldn't wanna go in there with that limited amount of information."

"Newton don't embarrass yourself." Hermann rolled his eyes but he kept talking.

"Just hear me out. Give me a second, please. Why do we judge the Kaiju on the category system? Because they are all so different. You see what I'm saying, like one looks like a shark, like a fish-"

"Doctor Geizsler..." Pentecost sternly interrupted.

"My point is I don't think they're different at all. These are some samples I collected..." He skirted around them and pulled out two trays with two identical slabs of purple Kaiju flesh. "This one was harvested in Sydney," he told them, pointing to one then another, "And this was harvested in Manila... 6 years ago." _This_ caught their interest and their gazes visibly sharpened. "They're clones."

"And this is the point he goes completely crazy." Hermann muttered into their ears.

"There is so much more to these alien monsters that we don't understand." Newt continued more quietly. "And we've only scratched the surface. This is a piece of a Kauji's brain. Now its damaged, but its still alive somehow."

"Like vampires' are." Herc murmured.

"Er, yeah." For a second an unreadable expression flitted across Newt's face before he got back on track. "Now I think I can tap into its brain using Drift tech and find out what it knows."

"No!" Hermann instantly yelled. He somehow didn't blush under the weight of their combined stares. "The neural load would override any brain, let alone a human's." He tried to reason with him. "You'd be killed, and we'd be down a scientist." And a friend, but he couldn't bring himself to say that because for the first time in the ten years he's known Newt, the man's face had darkened terribly.

"You know what? Fuck you. You hunters think you're the best and that you're so pure and in the right but you never stop and think about other people! I'm stronger than you know and if this can save people then I'm gonna do it!" There was a startled silence.

"Do not Drift with a Kaiju, Geizsler. That is a direct order." Pentecost eventually ordered. Newt scowled at him, but kept his mouth firmly shut as he gave a minute nod and turned his back on them. "Doctor Gottlieb, I'd like _your_ data on my desk asap." He gently informed the stock still man. He and Herc shared troubled gazes, then turned and left.

A stiff silence reigned for a few minutes.

"Doctor Geizsler, I-" Hermann was cut off by a feral snarl in his direction before Newt stormed out, leaving him blinking in astonishment once more.

"There is yours." Mako gestured at the Jaeger and he ground to a halt as he saw Gipsy Danger in all her former glory, surrounded by the harsh spitting of blowtorches and the low whirring of machinery.

"Oh my god. Look at her. Gypsy Danger- god, so beautiful. She looks like new." He commented.

"Better than new. She now has a double core nuclear reactor. She is one of a kind now."

"She always was." He murmured under his breath, eyes still held captive by the Jaeger in front of him.

"How'd you like your ride Becket?" An excited voice called out from behind.

"Tendo!" Raleigh cried, shucking his bag to embrace the man in a crushing hug. "Its good to see you buddy." He added as he pulled away.

"It's good to see you too brother." The Hunter Tech warmly responded. "Its just like old times."

Raleigh slowly walked through the cafeteria, looking for somewhere to sit and attempting to ignore the curious and downright hostile looks he was getting.

"Raleigh!" At hearing his name called in a friendly Australian accent his head snaked around and he saw Herc descending a set of stairs with two trays in hand. He offered an amiable smile and got given the tray in response, being steered along by the Australian Ranger. "Come sit with us." Raleigh attempted to put up at least a token resistance but the man was amazingly strong and he soon found himself pushed into a seat opposite the cocky Chuck as Herc dropped down next to him. "We're in an open port which means potatoes, sweet peas, beans, decent meatloaf." Herc was explaining, before asking someone for the potatoes and doling a load onto his plate as Raleigh gratefully dug in, enjoying the unusual calibre of the meal. "This is my son Chuck, he's my co-pilot now." He absentmindedly introduced.

"He's more my co-pilot, isn't that right?" Herc didn't respond and with a smirk he turned his attention to Raleigh. "So you're the guy eh? The one running defence for me in that old rust bucket of yours."

"That's the plan." Raleigh nodded neutrally.

"So...when was the last time you jockeyed Ray?" There was a teasing edge to that smirk, Raleigh decided, that he wasn't going to fall prey to.

"Five years ago." He carefully answered.

"What've you been doing for five years? Something pretty important I reckon."

"I was in construction."

"Oh, great!" Raleigh waited for the insult, and wasn't disappointed. "That's really useful- we get into a fight you can build your way out of it, eh Ray?"

"It's Raleigh." Whoops, broke that promise.

"Whatever. Look, you're Pentecost's big idea. My old man seems to like ya, but it's pilots like you that brought the Jaeger program down. To me, you're dead weight." He made a point of getting in Raleigh's face as he stood. "And if you get in the way, I'll drop you like a bag of Kaiju shit." Then he was marching off, Max trotting at his heels.

"You can blame me for that one." Herc said apologetically. "Lost his mother to a were when he was young. I raised him on my own- smart kid, but I don't know whether to hug him or give him a kick up the ass." Raleigh raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth but a vaguely familiar voice from the side came before him.

"All due respect sir, I think the latter." Raleigh blinked at Vick. Was the guy a mindreader or something? Did those exist too? "Because of the combined drain of her healing the brawlers and freezing the ones outside, Louhi probably won't wake up for at least six hours." He frostily informed them. "I don't know if you know this but she does a quarter of the heavy lifting and is the only one who can keep everything properly organised, so it is doubtful all the Jaegers will we at full capacity in time for Operation Pitfall." His gaze shifted to Raleigh. "Becket. A pleasure to actually meet you. I will be watching your fights with your candidates later. Good day." He nodded and moved to leave.

"Vick." Herc caught his attention and was subjected to a cold stare. "Chuck didn't cause the second fight."

"Maybe not directly, but he stirred it up with his actions earlier." He frankly reminded them, before pretty much disappearing. Herc sighed next to him.

"Ignore him. He's normally such a sedate vamp, but Louhi is one of his best friends and her fainting like that really shook him." Raleigh almost fell off his stool.

"_He_ was a vampire?!"

"Yep."

Vick couldn't stop a small burst of admiration spurt in his chest as he watched Raleigh take down Hunter after Hunter in just a few moves. Hunters may start out as normal humans, but a life of hunting stronger, faster beings did weird things to them. Their instincts became razor sharp and they gained an intimate understanding of human and monster biology pretty quick. Those that didn't- closed casket funeral. They became much stronger and faster than normal humans, and often a degree smarter, able to fight and talk their way out of dangerous situations. Normally, a Hunter would trounce a human like Raleigh. Everyone but he seemed to know that. And it didn't stop him winning.

"Four points to two." Mako declared. Raleigh faced her angrily.

"Okay, what?" He demanded. "You don't like them? I thought you selected them personally.

"Excuse me?"

"Everytime I finish you make this little gesture, like you're critical of their performance."

"It's not theirs. It's yours." She hotly explained. "You could have taken down all of them two moves earlier."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

"Okay, can we step this up a bit?" He asked. Vick shifted his grip on the beams above in interest. "Why don't we give her a try?" As Mako looked at Pentecost beseechingly Vick felt a grin spread across his face. This'd be interesting, especially with her oddly rustic scent and the fact she has the much feared Hunter Stacker Pentecost as her father.

"No." He firmly denied. "Stick to the list- they must be Drift and physically compatible."

"But I am!" She protested.

"What's the matter? Don't think your brightest can cut it in the ring with me?" Vick winced at his choice of words, especially when after a silent exchange Mako padded shoeless into the Kwoon, took her staff and readied herself.

Raleigh was on the floor in seconds. As they circled again, Vick watched carefully for what he had thought he'd seen- a sweep of the arms known only to one group of people he knew of. Who in hell had Mako been training with? _There._ Again, Raleigh was on the floor, with his leg held by Mako's staff.

"Enough!" The Marshall called. "I have seen what I need to see."

"Me too," Raleigh gasped out as he stumbled to his feet amidst applause. "She's my co-pilot." She stared at him in joyous disbelief.

"That's not going to work." Pentecost's voice shattered the happy moment.

"Why not?" Raleigh blurted in surprise.

"Because I said so. Report to me in two hours, and I will tell you who your co-pilot is."

Everyone filed out, until he was left to stare at a darkly smirking Chuck and the back of one upset Mako Mori. He didn't hesitate to chase after her.


	5. Chapter 5- Firsts

_It was my birthday this Friday! And I went to the Goodwood Revival on Saturday! Anyway, thanks to jeevesandwooster, shiki ryuusaki, knightpheonix2 and to the guest Emma: don't worry about writing a perfectly articulated review, the fact that you tried is gold for me!_

* * *

"So, who trained you?" A voice from behind almost made Raleigh jump, but he managed to keep a hold of that reaction and instead whipped round to face his questioner. And winced.

To put it simply, Louhi looked like hell. Her skin was pasty, there were dark bags under her eyes and she was slumped unprofessionally, trying to conserve energy by abandoning her usual rigid-and-regal stance.

"Wa- what?" He stuttered.

"I don't know when the last time you fought was but it must've been a while. You were still thrashing Hunters though. So...who trained you?"

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" He attempted to evade.

"Shouldn't you be in your Jaeger waiting for your co-pilot if you're dressed up like that?" She shot back, gesturing to his suit. "Look, just give me a name and I'll be out of your hair." For the sake of getting her to bed he reluctantly answered her.

"A guy called Masuru Wairduo, and a woman called Gerhild Burkhard." He wearily answered, watching as her eyes widened fractionally. "Now go to bed."

"Yes mother." She waved her hand flippantly but left in the direction of the sleeping quarters to appease him. Well, at least that explained a few things. He had been trained by the chief of the forest Bakeneko and an infamous German Hunter...Huntress? She frowned but didn't try to figure it out. The point was he was a bundle of confused human messages, wild Bakeneko instincts and deadly Hunter training methods. No wonder he had smashed his candidates instead of the other way round. Stumbling over her feet she decided that even after her 16 hour sleep, it might be time for a nap. She'd be awake in an hour or so, but sadly not in time to see Raleigh's Drift. Oh well. She was sure it'd go well.

* * *

Newt threw the last bit of unneeded scrap to the side and stepped back to admire his work. Wanderwargs were known for their ability to make anything of nothing, and he was glad that particular skill had been passed to him. He set about making the final checks as he spoke into his recorder.

"Kaiju hu-human Drift experiment take one." Ten years, and he still stumbled on human. He was the worst liar _ever_ for christ's sake. "Chances are the brain is too damaged to Drift with, but if it works like a Vampire's, well...scientific aside, Hermann, if you get this then I'm either alive and proven what I've just done works so hah. I win. Or I'm dead and I'd like you to know it's all your fault, it _really_ is, because you and Pentecost drove me to this...in which case hah, I also won." He paused as he swung the controller up. "Well, kinda." He felt his voice waver and scowled. No Were was ever scared. "I'm going in in 3...2...1."

He didn't allow himself to hesitate in slamming the button down.

The controller fell, unfelt as it slipped through his quaking fingers and unheard as it clattered across the floor. His mind was entirely focused on the images of the Kaiju being steadily built, line upon line of 'Knifeheads' waiting for deployment, odd spindly creatures directing all...and under the barrage of information, the raw, boundless assault was wearing away at his mind. So it was definitely a good thing that even with a cane, it took Hermann only two seconds to reach his side, and another to rip the Pons unit off his head.

"Newton!" He yelled again, trying to get him to respond. "Don't you dare die on me!" His only response was a full body shudder and a fluttering of his lips and eyes, but it was conscious and enough to assure him. For now.

"What did you think you were doing?" He scolded as he pulled the Xenobiologist onto his feet and tugged a chair underneath him just before his shaking legs buckled under him. He rushed to get a glass of water, checked to make sure he wasn't about to die on him, then after only a slight pause made his way to the LOCCENT. Pentecost needed to know.

* * *

"Waiting for my co-pilot." Raleigh told LOCCENT when he finished his final checks. Hearing them arrive he quickly made his request. "Mind if I take this side? My left arm's kinda shot."

"No problem." His head moved so quickly, hopefully, that his vision flashed dark for a second. Slowly, he returned Mako's grin.

Pentecost nodded in satisfaction as the Jaeger's hands came together, Tendo keeping him constantly updated with a stream of data.

Which was when Hermann came running in, yelling.

"Not now, doctor. I'm sure you can appreciate how important this moment is to me." He blandly responded.

"Newton built a pons out of garbage and Drifted with a Kaiju!"

They hurried into the science lab.

"He was like this when I found him. Its amazing he survived." Hermann rushed out, eyes immediately locking onto Newt's shaking form, bringing the rattling glass up for another sip.

"Newton. I need you to tell me what you saw." Pentecost coaxed as he settled into a chair opposite him.

"It was only a fragment- a piece of brain, so all I was really able to get was glimpses, fragments, of images and sound and- like when you blink really really fast-"

"Newton." Pentecost cut him off. "Calm down and tell me exactly what you saw."

"We thought it was just random attacks but its not. The Kaiju are like rabid Weres unleashes on prey, pointed in the right direction by this different race. These beings, masters, they colonise worlds. They tried once before with the dinosaurs but it didn't work. Now with pollution and oil and the forests being cut down we've practically terraformed it for them. The first wave, that was just the exterminators, wiping out the vermin, _us._ But now they're coming to finish the job and they will kill us all." There was a long pause whilst the other two seemed to take this in. "See the reaosn their DNA was identical was because they _are grown-_"

"I need you to do it again." Pentecost finally demanded. Hermann instantly bristled, but Newton responded first anyway.

"Well I-I can't do it again. Not unless you have a fresh Kaiju brain hanging around somewhere." Pentecost didn't respond. "Do you?"

* * *

"There are certain individuals whose business is the collection and exploitation of Kaiju remains."

"Er, yeah, black market dealers." Newton responded, watching Hermann boot the file up.

"Well, they're in and out in a matter of hours, neutralise and extract the blood and harvest all they need. Now this guy..." He froze it on the image of a man, back to the camera. "This is Hannibal Chau." Pentecost explained. "He's the leader of the Kaiju Black market in Asia and a werewolf of the Asenan pack. When our funding was cut I turned to him for help and in return allowed him access to the dead Kaiju."

"_You_ did that?" Hermann asked incredulously.

"Last days of war, gentlemen." He reminded them.

"But the Asenan pack is incredibly violent and from Mongolia. He's not supposed to be here and he's probably going to try and rip my head off!" Newt protested. "The full moon is tomorrow!"

"I suppose I'll have to go with you." Hermann sighed.

"No." Pentecost ordered. "You will stay here and calculate these new variables into that data." Hermann's jaw clenched as he drew himself up to his full height, but after a tense pause he ground out a cold,

"Yes...sir." His gaze wandered over to Newt for a second before he turned smartly on his heel and stomped out of the room.

* * *

Alarms blaring, chaos and shouting and fear, the whir of a plasma cannon. That was what Louhi awoke to. Vick startled awake from where he had fallen asleep on the chair beside her bed, and breathed in heavily, ears twitching and catching shreds of Tendo's yelled instructions, in a language he unfortunately hadn't learned. Before Louhi had even managed to struggle upright, he was gone, door swinging off it's hinges.

There was a rushing noise, and suddenly Vick was there by them.

He pushed Tendo out of the way and took a firm hold of the main power cable, before with a single furious tug it was pulled completely out. Vick staggered backward as it suddenly slammed out and almost fell over, a dazed look on his face as a hushed silence fell. And then the yelling started.

Teams rushed into the cockpit, pulling the two out of their paces and away from the Jaeger. Raleigh very quickly came back to himself, although the way he was acting was like he had taken part in a drinking contest with the Russians.

Somehow Raleigh managed to fix Pentecost with a clear look. Well, a look with both eyes that didn't waver too much.

"Your daughter is a cat."

"_What?!_"


	6. Chapter 6- The Aftermath

_How the hell do you spell Newt's last name, I've found about 3 different spellings. _

_Thanks to Saina Tsukino, KemsShadow, SpammerheadShark51, for the birthday wishes, and a huge thanks to Knightpheonix2, who never fails to make me feel awesome._

* * *

The arguing had already started by the time Louhi managed to stumble her way into the room, a protesting Vick trailing her uselessly.

"There is a reason we do not let monsters Drift!" Pentecost snapped at Mako.

"You promised me-!"

"I didn't know you weren't human!" He bellowed right back.

"Oh my god, shut up!" Louhi suddenly yelled from the side. They all looked at her in surprise, and she stared wildly back. "Feral Drifts are only dangerous if the parahuman has no control and Raleigh has already made the point that it was him that started it off!" She dropped her head into her hands and muttered something vehemently in Finnish.

Feral Drifts were dangerous beyond belief. Parahumans could get so emotional or violent while Drifting that it overloaded their partner's mind. Of course, if it was two Parahumans they'd be fine, but by that point the governments were so scared by the, well, _ferallness_ of them in combat, that no Feral Drift was ever allowed to be initiated after the Mark 2s.

Until now.

"Go back to bed, Louhi." Pentecost ordered gently. "We'll talk when you're feeling better."

* * *

At every yell from inside the room, Mako flinched. With every flinch, Raleigh's mood dipped a little lower. So when Chuck was forcefully shoved outside by his father, he really wasn't in the mood for the Hunter's cocky shit.

"You two are a bloody disgrace! You're gonna get us all killed and here's the thing, _Ray-leigh_. I wanna come back from this mission. Cos I quite like my life. So why don't you-" He flicked Raleigh contemptuously in the chest, "Just do us all a favour and disappear. It's what you're good at, after all. And you-" He turned his gaze onto Mako. "Run off back to the wild, before you kill us all."

"Apologise to her." He demanded. Chuck spat at him in response, and Mako instantly took a step forward, eyes flashing a dangerously bright green. Raleigh didn't hesitate to block her way; she didn't need the bad press. Not right now.

"That's right...hold back your little kitty." Chuck sneered at Raleigh, eyes glaring flames at Mako. "One of you bitches needs a leash."

The punch really shouldn't have taken Chuck by surprise, but it did. The next, and the next, and the others sent him stumbling back before he managed to break free. Wiping at his lips he blinked at the sight of blood, and then with a curse he leapt at Raleigh, managing to get a few hits in before he was thrown back into a bit of piping on the wall.

With a shriek it tore, blasting him with burning steam as he stared at Raleigh angrily.

"Apologise." Raleigh calmly ordered.

"Screw you." Chuck growled at him in response and lunged again. Remembering the words of Masuru, he turned Chuck's own attacks against him, smacking him in the face once more.

He heard a cry of surprise and before he could move again was pushed violently away from Chuck, hitting the wall hard enough to make his vision wobble. When it cleared he saw Herc holding back Chuck and Louhi shooting _him_ a glare.

"No voi vittu! I only just fixed him!" The witch scowled with an arm wave in the younger Hansen's direction. His face twisted oddly, and his mouth formed exactly the same words as her, in the same irritated tone, though clearly aimed at different people.

"Why did you _do_ that?!"

"Becket! Mori! Inside my office- _now._" Pentecost ordered, and as they moved inside fixed the fuming Louhi and Chuck duo with a sharp look. "You two, wait for me. Herc...I'll see you later." Nodding stiffly, Herc shot his son a warning look then marched away. "And Louhi?" She looked at him. "No healing Chuck." Even as she gaped at him he firmly shut the door, and she was restricted to pulling a face at the closed metal panel.

After only a few minutes, Chuck snapped,

"What?" When she shot him an irritated look he sourly expanded, "You want to say something, so bloody say it."

"Something? Something? I don't wanna say something, I want to say everything. Do you have any idea how much energy I poured into healing you just so you could go get beat up a day later? Do you have any idea how shit it made me feel you vitun urpo runkkari, miten olet tuollainen tyhmä munapää...!" He winced as her words got even harsher and louder, and although he didn't know the specifics of what she was saying it definitely wasn't hard to guess judging by the growl in her voice and hard glint in her eyes. Halfway through another rant he was sure would make him blush if he could understand it, she suddenly slapped a hand onto his cheek where it was bleeding. This time the healing rush burned, forcefully searing his wounds together instead of coaxing them closed. "...Idiootti." She finished quietly as she stepped away, and he _definitely_ knew what that meant. "You're a Ranger for Christ's sake. Start acting like one."

* * *

**Inside the office...**

"Sir, it was my mistake, I went out of alignment first." Raleigh stressed.

"No. It was mine." He turned sharply to face them, with all too clear military precision. "I should never have put the two of you in the same Jaeger." His eyes drifted to Mako. "Especially now."

"You would have never let me in a Jaeger if you knew!" She cried.

"Enough. The matter is closed." He gritted out, watching her face close off and eyes grow shadowed.

"So what? You're grounding us?" Raleigh questioned.

"Not you." Raleigh's gaze flicked to Mako as she stood unsteadily.

"Permission to be dismissed sir?"

_Screaming running parents running crash and burn and run- where was her mother her father her sister her friends where were they- the thing drew closer as she stumbled away scent wrong wrong _wrong _and WHERE WERE THEY?! _

"Granted, Miss Mori." He practically whispered.

Raleigh forced down the memory that wasn't his as Mako strode out with a faint tremble to her limbs and moved closer to the Marshall.

"Mako..." He tried but she didn't react. "Sir, what are you doing? She's the strongest candidate by far. What other option do we have?!"

"Do not let my calm demeanour fool you, Ranger!" He suddenly roared. "Now is not a good time for your insubordination!" He leaned forward, staring down Raleigh. "Mako is too inexperienced to reign in her memories during combat. Not only could that cost us this war, it could cost both of your lives."

"That's not why!" Raleigh called after him, and he paused. "I was in her _memories_, sir. I saw everything."

"I don't care what you think you saw."

Again a memory flared, _noise shrieking roaring rumbles through her toes then silence. Move and see the giant creature, monster, metal, oil and danger, then a person, climbing, looking down at her. Human, Hunter, safe._

"I know how important she is to you, sir." He started.

"No. You don't. Even...even as a Bakeneko she is still important to me. I was all she had. Do you understand that? Can you?" Raleigh paused. It was all the answer he needed, and he laughed at the Ranger bitterly. "I am not losing her, Raleigh. And that is final." He moved past but Raleigh grabbed his wrist.

"I won't pilot with anyone else." He warned. "I understand you care but you're not protecting her; you're holding her back." Pentecost looked down at the hand on his wrist with such intensity that Raleigh recoiled on instinct.

"One, don't you ever touch me again. Two, don't you ever touch me again.." Pentecost spoke lowly.

"What is your problem?" Raleigh blurted.

"You have no idea who the hell I am or where I've come from or what I've done, so if you want to keep your head on your shoulders you will let this go." He scrutinised him then gestured to the door. "You are dismissed, Ranger." Although Raleigh looked less than pleased, he gave a swift nod and left.

He glanced curiously at Chuck when he noticed the lack of marks on his face, but was hurried along by Louhi's venomous glare and her way too relaxed position, leaning against the wall a healthy distance from Chuck with her arms crossed loosely.

Pentecost resisted the need to sigh when he saw them and instead silently gestured them in. The silence lasted for all of two seconds.

"Why'd you make me wait like I'd done something wrong?" Chuck fumed.

"Maybe because you had?" Louhi suggested snidely.

"Shut up, Louhi. Chuck, you can't go around starting fights with people. The responsibility for their actions is mine alone and you got angry at them because you couldn't get angry at me."

"To be fair, Raleigh threw the first punch." Louhi interjected.

"Who's side are you on already?" Chuck grumbled.

"To be fair, you disobeyed a direct order by healing him and I haven't told you off for it." Pentecost pointed out to her hotly. "So just be quiet." Her eyes widened almost imperceptibly and her mouth clacked shut. "Chuck, this ends now. Let it go. Louhi...rest up as much as you can. The world is ending. I don't want you fainting again when we need you." Her eyes narrowed suddenly and she turned and rushed out. Chuck blinked at the swinging door.

"...What the hell was that?" Chuck asked blankly.

"I think I might have just insulted her." Chuck hesitated at his cautious response and then blurted his question out.

"Why do you talk to her so casually?"

"If it wasn't for monster hating Hunters like you, she'd probably be my third in command." Pentecost raised an eyebrow at him. "She's been with the Jaeger programme from its creation. Now, I believe your father wanted to speak with y-" He had left before Pentecost could finish.

Perfect. He'd annoyed half his crew today. A new record.

* * *

At the other end of the Shatterdome, Newt had already flagged down Chase and the two of them had just taken off in the helicopter.

* * *

Hermann watched, unseen, as the helicopter took off and headed toward the nearby city. Lip curling he headed back into the Shatterdome, to continue some equations he would never finish.

* * *

Mako and Raleigh sat in companionable silence on one of the causeways, watching Gipsy Danger as she was fixed. They had spoken the words that needed to be said and explained the things that needed to be told.

Everything was going to be just fine.

* * *

_Sorry guys, this is a short one because the next one is really long. _


	7. Chapter 7- Mine

_I'm so sorry this is late. Tooth extraction this Friday then ill all weekend and still ill. Getting knocked out is a weird feeling. This was mostly done but it didn't feel good enough to publish. Thanks to everyone that helped me get this chapter out there: Knightpheonix2, shadonic25 and Kaica, and everyone that follows this story._

* * *

Newt stumbled as someone shoved past him, but pushed down the instinct to snarl and carried on through the crush of people and rain. It took only a few moments thinking after seeing the huge Kaiju skull to scan the roadworks sign and find the symbol he was looking for. When he cleared the crowds and glanced around, he wasn't expecting the acrid smell that suddenly assaulted his nose. It was a mixture of werewolf, ammonia and Kaiju blue. Following his nose his head swung round to a red pillar framing a traditional looking door. Ignoring the two men at the door- he could smell weapons but that wasn't too much of a worry because although they smelt of werewolf they _were_ human- he walked in. They eyed him and closed the door but didn't follow.

The man behind the counter scuttled over. He hadn't taken a sniff yet but Newt had, discretely. This one was a wolf.

"Hello. Would you like some bone powder?" He asked.

"Bone...bone powder?" He checked, unsure he'd heard right and waiting for what would come. "No. Why would I want bone powder?"

"Yes. It helps with any performance issues you might-" _There_. He took a deep breath in the middle of his sentence and Newt shot across the room as his words strangled themselves into silence. Slapping a hand over his mouth and one on his throat Newt shoved him into one of the shelving units, making the jars rattle as he squirmed desperately.

"Please don't howl." Newt pleaded. "I just need to speak to Hannibal Chau." The man eyed him carefully then flicked his eyes down to Newt's hands. After brief hesitation, Newt let go and instantly moved out of reach. Rubbing his neck the man moved over to a wall and glanced at him.

"Hannibal Chau eh?" Pressing some unseen button caused the shelves with large pickled Kaiju organs to shift to one side. "Good luck."

So overwhelming was the scent of ammonia it was almost blinding, but Newt hardly even noticed because his eyes were flicking between all the sights.

"Is that a Kaiju cuticle in mint condition? And- oh my god, are those skin parasites?!" He babbled. "I thought you couldn't keep them alive outside a Kaiju!"

"You can if you use enough ammonia." A low voice came from behind him and he spun.

"You're a Wanderwarg." Hannibal growled, all strutting wolf, so painfully obvious. "What are you doing here?"

"I- I'm not here to fight you." Newt stuttered out.

"No, of course you're not." Hannibal snorted. "Wanderwargs never do. So what are you here for, runt?"

"Stacker Pentecost sent me." Newt answered quickly, eyeing the golden flip knife he held loosely in one hand.

"That old Hunter? What does he want?" The black market king snorted.

"I need a Kaiju brain."

"Look at them." Hannibal snorted, the low chantings of the worshipers easily discernable to werewolf ears. "They believe that the Kaiju were sent down from heaven, to show God's displeasure at us. What do you believe, runt?"

"God didn't make us." Newton shrugged, reluctantly ignoring the nickname. "He definitely didn't make them."

"Good answer. So. Why do you need a Kaiju brain, eh? They're too much hassle- too much ammonia!"

"Well, it is classified..." Newt trailed off, unable to press down his excitement. Hannibal obviously tasted its sweet tang in the air because he leaned back against the rail and eyed him speculatively. "But also pretty cool. So I'm going to tell you. I figured out how to Drift with a Kaiju." The alpha straightened. "Its fascinating- they've got a sort of hivemind, kind of like the dryads had, you know, and-" Hannibal leaned it close and peered at his bloodshot eye.

"Holy mother." He whistled. "You've done it, haven't you?"

"...I may have done it a little bit."

* * *

Tendo frowned as he came closer to his own control panel. A rapid beeping made him glance between his lunch and the controls, before the AI's announcement had him dropping it haphazardly and pulling on various controls, trying to respond quickly enough.

"Double event. Double event." The AI repeated over and over again as Cherno's boot-up protocols started.

It didn't take long for everyone to get there.

"Sir, _Doctor Geizsler _is out there!" Hermann stressed as the two rushed in.

"I know, Gottlieb, but I have other primary concerns and-"

"I can kill you in seven different ways from here, sir, I'd consider how callous your next remark is." Pentecost eyed him. Hermann stared innocently back.

"Was that a threat, Doctor?"

"Merely an interesting fact I thought you might like."

A moment's pause.

"Newton is smart," Pentecost reassured him. "More than smart. I promise he'll get back here safe, and as soon as the danger has passed I want you on a helicopter flying to his location." He was amused to see Hermann visibly brighten then swiftly hide it behind his usual grouchiness.

"Yes, sir."

"We have two category fours, codenames Otachi and Leatherback." Tendo was speaking to the crew, voice projected around the hangar. "They're the biggest we've ever seen and they'll reach Hong Kong within the hour."

"Evacuate the city." Pentecost ordered. "I want every single civilian under refuge right now. Crimson Tycoon, Cherno Alpha, I want you to frontline the harbour. Striker, I want you to stay back, look after the coastline. We cannot afford to lose you so only engage as a final option."

"Yessir!" He looked at Mako and Raleigh.

"You two...stay here." Raleigh's jaw clenched but he didn't argue. Mako simply bowed her head.

Louhi was a whirlwind of swearing, orders and movement as she hurried past the Hansens, grabbing a hold of Chuck's arm as she passed.

"_Get your asses moving- _hey, good luck out there Chuck- _what do you think you're doing?!_" She rushed off again after someone, and he blinked after her. With a chuckle, Herd nudged his son.

"That's gonna be a very interesting friendship."

"Oh shut up!" Chuck spluttered, stalking off ahead. Still chuckling, Herc followed.

Mako and Raleigh could only watch as the three Jaegers were flown out into the storm with pushing air Elementals clearing a way for the straining helicopters, Pentecost's orders still ringing through the empty hull of the Shatterdome. Exchanging glances the two pushed their way through to Tendo, watching the battle progress intently as techs and mechs hurried around.

* * *

"In position and awaiting orders." He ignored his Dad speaking through the comm line as Cherno and Crimson were dropped in front of them.

The Hansens scanned the sea as the two Jaegers moved forward, looking around for the two Kaiju that had to be nearby. Why hadn't these things been fitted with radar? Chuck caught himself thinking that maybe Louhi and Vick could install it before the thought could pass to his Dad.

Crimson turned, apparently having spotted something. Which was when the first Kaiju burst out of the water and landed easily on all fours. Crimson turned to face it but the Kaiju's tail- Otachi's tail- crashed into its side and it flew back, sliding roughly along the shallow waters. Shaking themselves the Wei Tang brothers pulled the Jaeger upright and readied the three blades, a spinning whirring sound to contrast the sibilant rush of falling water. Otachi leapt. The blades caught it in the chest, the head, again, again, again, and it blocked the next two swings with its claws, but with a rocket boost Crimson jumped over it, twisting with mechanical ease, and flung it into the water.

Karma.

Rising out of the water Otachi let out an angry shriek only to be pounded back down twice by Cherno, the Kaidanovskys running to the brawl. As they raised both hands for the final blow, its tail whipped out and flung them away.

"LOCCENT, Typhoon and Alpha are in trouble, we're going in!" Herc yelled down the comm. Pentecost leapt to the mike.

"Hold your ground. Do not engage!" The two australians looked at each other.

Inexorably, Cherno rose again even as Otachi went on the attack, buffeting Crimson with attacks, triplets screaming curses over the comm.

"Screw this, we can't just watch them die!" Chuck cried.

"LOCCENT, we are moving in to engage."

Just as Otachi's tail whipped out to crush the three triplets, 10 or 11 _somethings_ pushed at its legs, sending it toppling. The leg missed its mark and instead dug deep into the side of the Jaeger. As Otachi tumbled, Crimson Tycoon was pulled with it.

Vanishing under the turbulent waves, its power flickered then died.

Things moved in the deep, racing toward the downed Jaeger in swishing patterns as Otachi clambered out of the water.

Yelling insults in thick Russian, Sasha and Aleksis slammed their fists together and squared off against Otachi as it rose again. Screaming defiantly, it splattered them with some sort of liquid that burned and hissed, making them stumble back.

"Pod has been compromised." Sasha spoke through the comm. "Requesting backup immediately."

"Hold on Cherno!" Herc yelled through the intercom. "We're just coming!" Super powered legs churned through the water, picking up speed as they ran, fastest Jaeger ever built.

Not fast enough.

Otachi clawed at the Jaegers chest but they were holding out. Which was when Leatherback exploded out of the water and leapt onto its back, peeling away plating like peeling an orange. Sparks flew as the Jaeger was pummelled between two beastly fists, but before Otachi could join in again Striker attacked, punching again and again, pilots yelling with the thrill of the hunt.

Still too late.

Leatherback pinned Cherno below the water, immobilising the russians as water rushed in, frying the electronics and pulling them down.

Leatherback brought its paw down, intending to crush the nuclear heart of Cherno Alpha. As it did so, however, six spears pierced its sole and sent it pitching backward in instinctual retreat from the pain. At the same time, two unarmed beings darted into the pod of the fallen Jaeger, wrenched the unconscious Rangers' from their places and swum away rapidly, resurfacing a little way away to make sure the humans were still breathing and had a pulse. Helmeted heads nodded in satisfaction as the two chirped at each other before slicing away toward the Shatterdome squatting in the distance.

Mission accomplished.

Striker hauled Otachi out of the water, squirming and clawing, and threw it as far as possible, watching it tumble with satisfaction.

"Engaging air missiles!" Herc yelled, watching them begin to unfold and charge, unaware of Leatherback recovering behind them.

Before they could fire the Kaiju reared its head and then roared, back crackling with electromagnetic charge.

The screams of the two Rangers being fried by it relayed far too clearly back to LOCCENT.

"The hell was that?!"

The blast took out half of Hong Kong, and subsequently the Shatterdome as Leatherback circled the Jaeger, unused to seeing them immobile. The few people not in shelters cowered in their homes as the lights went out. In the Shatterdome, there was a lot of shrieking as every screen buzzed feebly then blacked out, accompanied by curses and moans and the frantic tapping of keys.

"The blast, it jumbled all of the Jaegers' legible circuits." Tendo cursed as he tried futilely to restore power.

"Not a defense. A weapon." Hermann muttered darkly to Pentecost.

"Get me Striker!" The Marshall demanded.

"I can't, the auxiliaries are fried. The Jaegers are all digital, it'll take me a couple of hours to rewire it all." Tendo fretted.

"Not all of them." They turned to look at Raleigh. "Gipsy's analogue. _Nuclear_."

* * *

Werewolves weren't supposed to get scared. Weres of any kind weren't supposed to get scared.

Right now, with a Kaiju breathing down his neck, he figured they wouldn't mind.

Damn Hannibal and his hatred, he was trying to save the goddamn world. _Their_ world. Honestly, pack boundaries shouldn't matter in times like this.

Shoving his way through he managed to make it into the shelter just before the door slammed shut.

_Boom._ Oh gods. It was right overhead.

"It knows I'm here." He muttered.

"It knows we're all here!" Some woman next to him hissed in reply.

"No you don't understand it knows I'm here, I have to get out-"

"Its after the little man!" The woman shrieked, pushing him away. In only seconds he was thrown to the floor amongst a wide circle empty of humans but overflowing with fear pheromones. Newt could only blindly feel for his glasses, feeling ridiculously like Velma as he did so.

His hands brushed thin metal.

The ceiling caved in.

With shaking hands he fixed the glasses on his nose and inched back as Otachi clawed at the opening before sending it's tongue tendrils down into the cavern. Sharply he veered out of the way once, twice, sensing the toxicity of them and knowing they could scent probably as well as him. Finally it pulled back and Newt collapsed against the floor in relief. The scent was clogging up his nose- acid and sea and wrong, a nose cocktail of dizzying proportions.

Up ahead, the Kaiju shrieked.

* * *

"No! Don't disengage!" Chuck yelled at his father. Of course, Leatherback chose that moment to nudge at the pod, Herc crashing into the wall- hard. As he let out a cry Chuck unlocked himself and ran to his side.

"You alright, old man?" He asked, evidently concerned.

"Don't! Call me that!" Another roar from outside diverted their attention.

"Its right outside. We need to get out of here."

"We're not going anywhere!" Herc yelled over the sounds of the Kaiju, marching over to some panels on the wall. "We're the only thing standing between this wackjob of a monster and a city of ten million people. Now we can either sit here or take these flares guns and do something _really_ stupid!"

Chuck thought about it. For about two seconds.

The lock popped on the hatch and Chuck clambered out, helping his dad out.

"How's your arm?"

"Fine." Herc gritted out. "Just give me the gun." Taking a firm hold he yelled at the Kaiju, "Hey you!" Still linked through the Ghost Drift, they fired at the same time. One fizzled harmlessly against its jaw, but another landed in an eye and it bucked, roaring.

"I think we just pissed it off!" Chuck yelled. Raising both arms in a far too human way, it paused at the sound of chopper blades behind them and turned.

Gipsy Danger was just visible as a silhouette in front of the glaring lights.

Raising its arms defiantly, Gipsy waited.

"Alright Mako, this isn't a drill!" As Leatherback rushed at them they dodged then grabbed a hold of its back scales, lifting it easily.

"Come on Gipsy! Kick its ass!" Chuck screamed. A piece of scale was ripped off and sent flying before the two Rangers brought the bulky Kaiju down onto their knee. There was a sharp crunch. Spinning angrily, it caught them up in a tight grip then sent them flying, smashing into a part of the dockyards. Twisting sharply they dug metal hands into the floor and brought themselves to a halt.

"Ichiyō-ryū." Two mouths whispered in sync as the Kaiju barrelled closer. Taking a running start they leapt, smashing a fist into its face and then a foot into its general stomach area, spinning out of the way, grabbing a wrist with both hands and flipping. Falling amongst the dock, Leatherback tore at a crane and pelted Gipsy's head with it. In retaliation, they grabbed two fistfuls of container and crushed its head painfully between them, following it with an uppercut that sent the monster sprawling.

They hooked their arms under its armpits and tossed it. As it recovered and charged with a roar, Mako blocked it with one arm and Raleigh engaged the Plasma cannon.

_Zhing. Zhing. Zhing. Zhing zhing zhing zhingzhingzhingzhing! _

With a final screech the Kaiju toppled.

"We'd better check for a pulse." Raleigh mock mused. Leaning close, Mako took a hold of its throat and heaved. Kaiju blue splattered everywhere.

"No pulse." She cheerfully confirmed, before they turned and went on their way.

The freighter produced a satisfying crunch when it hit Otachi dead in the face. Three times. Rearing violently, its clawed tail shot out and tore the freighter away, smashing it into tiny bits before it knocked Gipsy back a street. Turning, it took off down another road. They didn't hold back in giving chase but it had already disappeared.

"Its fast." Raleigh cursed, looking carefully around as they proceeded down the street.

With the shriek of twisting metal and shattering glass Otachi dove through a skyscraper and tackled them into another, getting a couple of hits in the face before proceeding to thoroughly throw the Jaeger around, push it through that poor same skyscraper and spit acid at them. Trying desperately to defend on two fronts, from both the snapping tail and snapping jaws, Mako released the coolant in the arms. The tail shattered. Finally Raleigh was able to get a good hold and ripped off the lower part of its jaw.

Two clawed feet punctured their metallic back, and ominous tattered wings spread above, spiky bones framing secular talons. Taking flight, Otachi ploughed the prone Jaeger across the top of a few skyscrapers for the hell of it and then properly took off, flying higher and higher, until they could see most of earth.

"Temps dropping, we're running out of oxygen and both Plasma cannons are shot. We're out of options." Raleigh yelled across to Mako over the blarings of about ten different warnings.

"No we're not." She responded firmly. Otachi roared a final challenge, and Mako responded. Violently.

"This is my world!" Mako screamed at Otachi. "Mine!" The sword deployed smoothly, rushing out to meet the Kaiju. "For my family!" It never stood a chance.

Metal sliced through flesh and bone and corrosive blood, flinging gore in an arc as it cleared the other side.

By that time though, they were falling.

Staff rushed outside to try and see the battle, Hermann and Louhi prominent among them.

"Up there!" Tendo pointed, outlining the glowing figure of the falling Jaeger.

"Gipsy, listen!" Pentecost yelled through the radio, giving them their instructions. "Its your only hope!" He added.

They readied themselves for the clearance. "Now!" For a few seconds they were shunted back, fall slowed. But then they were falling again, just as fast as before, ground rushing to meet them, AI calmly giving information about their impending destruction.

"We're falling too fast! Brace for impact!" Raleigh screamed.

A great cloud of dust and stone was thrown up into the air. The crowd turned deathly silent.

Slowly but surely, the unmistakable figure of Gipsy Danger unfurled out of the dust. Vick breathed a sigh of relief as Pentecost relaxed and the workers cheered, even Louhi joining in.

"Get out to Newton." Pentecost ordered. Hermann saluted him gratefully then hobbled off as fast as he could to find a helicopter.

_Just hold on._

"I want the two remaining Jaegers back to 100% functionality." Pentecost said to Tendo.

"Yes sir!" He nodded.

"Yessir." Louhi grinned the other side of him, and the two rushed off.

"Mako? You okay? Mako, talk to me." Raleigh urged worriedly.

"Yeah." She breathed, letting out a giddy giggle. "You?"

Well, he couldn't help but join in.

* * *

Just talking, discussing. Then a challenging growl from behind. He turned to see the Wanderwarg runt from earlier, shaking and a bit dirty but in perfect health.

"Hey! Guess whos back you one eyed mongrel!" He raised an accusing finger. "You owe me a Kaiju brain."

"Moving to vertebrae." The men reported, sounding as if they were struggling a bit. "Boss- the secondary brain is damaged." Newt let out a strangled cry and turned sharply, making strangling motion with his hands as he forced his heartbeat to stay low. "Wait."

"What?" He snatched it from Hannibal's hands. "Why wait?" He forcefully took it back.

"Its like a heartbeat." The man who spoke did so unsurely.

Steady beat, low and slow. A sound all biologists would recognise.

"She's pregnant." He breathed. Hannibal looked at him sharply. There was a scream down the intercom and Hannibal started to back away. With a horrendous shlurp the baby Kaiju clambered out of Otachi and roared, beginning its rampage through the workers.

Newt stumbled and fell at one shock, continuing almost as easily on four legs as he did on two in his sheer panic. Just as it reached out to snap at him, there was a stretching, creaking noise and it collapsed. Slowly, he unfurled back onto two legs, and after a deep breath began to creep closer.

"I knew it." Newt almost swore as Hannibal approached from behind. "Lungs weren't fully formed. Within a minute it would have strangled itself on the umbilical cord there and died. No way it could survive for more than a minute." He clicked his fingers and gestured to his eyes, one scarred still, a wolf's claw. "One look!" Newt knew for a fact this was bullshit; he had smelt the cloying, rotting stench of fear rolling off Hannibal as he fled. but wasn't about to call the Alpha oit on it. "That's all I need. Knew he wouldn't make it." And he sliced the golden flip knife into the creature's nostril. With a smirk he tugged it back out again. "That little bastard. Anyway, as I was-" It surged forward and enclosed the werewolf in its jaw, swallowing him down before collapsing.

It fell, and this time stayed that way. Newt breathed out. His ordeal was finally over.

* * *

"Wait." Louhi suddenly said. "How are we supposed to get Striker back with no power?"

"Ffffuuu-"


	8. Chapter 8- Calm before the storm

_Casually messing with canon. All of this is being copy and pasted right now, which sucks. But to that guest that flamed: dude, it quite obviously says a Monster AU and is tagged as supernatural so why would you read it if you don't like vampires? Anyone that understands the elementals name gets cookies. Thanks to Knightpheonix2 as ever, codename pip and Etidorpha. _

* * *

The sea churned, but nothing moved beneath the turbulent surface. A colourful mixture of sea green, polluted grey and bright Kaiju blue spread out on the left. To the right, a large stretch of innumerable pebbles, ground down to identical smooth traps for the unwary by time and storm. Seagulls, the last of a flock, wheeled in the sky and screamed mournful wails. Broiling overhead, clouds blanketed the blue of the sky as far as the eye could see, resting after its furious stormal assault earlier. Yet still the rain was building, a light drizzle beginning to fall. All in all, it echoed how most people felt right now.  
In the distance, a plume of smog and smoke signalled Hong Kong, rush of traffic and repairs faintly tangible on the fickle arctic breeze.

Bhekizitha wheeled in the sky, eagle's eyes combing the coastal waters for a sign of anything- scrap, Kaiju, body. There was a flash of ripple in the sea and he glanced over it dutifully before he picked up a difference in colour between the grey stones and two grey blobs on the shore. Then something else- a bright flash of colour amongst the drabness that wasn't Kaiju blue. Three lines of red. He wheeled and dove down to investigate further. He wasn't expecting what he found.

With a shriek Bhekizitha dove down toward the main search party and as he reached the ground forced his body into a human form. It burned like fire but he didn't have the time for a proper change right now, with breathing and focus and thought.  
"The pilots. I found them. Alive!" He gasped.  
"Which ones?" Vick demanded, already reaching for the 'olde worlde' radio.  
"All of them!"

"Sir!" Pentecost looked around at a jumping Tendo. "The search teams have found all the Jaeger pilots- alive!"  
"Condition?" He snapped after a moment.  
"Apparently some serious wounds, nothing imminently life threatening."  
"You!" He clicked his finger at an Xana walking past. She jumped and looked at him. "Get to the healers, tell them to be on standby. Cherno and Crimson's pilots have been found and need medical attention." Eyes widening, she hurried off.

Nearby people winced at the sudden explosion of sound from inside the med-bay. A few Hunters and elves plucked up to courage to glance inside but were swiftly shooed out, bewildered looks on their faces as the noise rose to concert pitch. Witches from all clans and placement soon arrived, adding to the noise with a bubbling pitch of various languages as they discussed the phenomenon they obviously recognised. There was a sense of almost electric excitement amongst them when the door slammed open. The witches were systematically yanked inside. Anybody else that tried to look was firmly turned away.

Elves cleared a path through the milling crowd. A loud rumble of surprise from down the corridor was the only warning before a team of elementals came pounding through, four to a stretcher. On each stretcher was a different Ranger. Half of their armour already stripped off, they were deposited and immediately swarmed by a team of witches. The elementals were pushed out and the doors sealed shut.

And they waited.

* * *

At the same time a young Asian boy, about 17, was struggling feebly against two large birds holding him up. They were almost touching the clouds and the churning waves below hadn't helped his fear of heights very much.  
"Why me?!" He yelled. Tendo answered easily through the headsets; they ran on batteries and the satellite hadn't been knocked out so they still worked.  
"Most of our helicopters lost power. Some of them were over the water when it happened. The three helicopters we have left aren't enough to get that Jaeger back here, so you're going to have to give it the power it needs to get back here."  
"And how am I supposed to do that?" He feigned ignorance, seeing a large blurry shape up ahead and assuming it was this Striker they were on about.  
"Don't play around with me, Quinn Tessen." Came an entirely different voice, one that sent shivers down his spine. "You're one of only four known energy elementals and we've got the Rangers out of there already."  
"...How do you know about that?" He asked cautiously, still far too aware of the two skin-walkers holding him up and the wind rushing past.  
"I'm Stacker Pentecost and most of my crew here are Hunters or some kind of Parahuman. We would have found you anyway."  
"Get that Jaeger online and you'll get a hot meal, warm bed and safe walls tonight." Tendo added teasingly.  
"Fine." Quinn grumbled.

With a lurch the two birds swung around and deposited him on the shoulder of the empty Jaeger before hovering a little way away. Shooting a glare at them- honestly, he wasn't a _rat_- he leaned against the metal of the Jaeger and simply breathed. He could feel the electric current from it like a shiver down his back, but it was locked away and deep down. However, it wouldn't take much to unleash it, just a small amount of energy in a single hit. Instead of trying to leach energy from the air or the water or, mother forbid, himself, he turned his attention upward.

Wild energy, they called it. This wasn't a controlled buzz. It raced across his skin, sending his air on end. The storm clouds were dying down but there was enough for one last strike, he felt.

He took a hold, and pulled.

The two skin-walkers shrieked in alarm at the sudden crackle and heat of lightning as it zipped past and sunk into the Jaeger. Half a second later there was the rumble of thunder, followed by a steadily growing whirr as the lights turned on. Back at LOCCENT Tendo hissed happily as the final connection was made, everything finally turning fully on. The two skin-walkers, two siblings who went down the Ranger route just before they weren't allowed to anymore, wormed their way inside the conn-pod and began hooking themselves up. Quinn slumped against the side gladly, feeling drained. Then again, he'd just used himself as a huge lightning rod. Being tired was allowed, he thought.

* * *

It shouldn't have surprised them, but when they arrived back in the Shatterdome the techs were twitchy and excited, and when they finally got down there was a large crowd waiting for them, cheering wildly when they were spotted.  
"Raleigh!" Herc pushed his way through and the cheering died down slightly. "My boy would never admit it...but he's thankful. We both are." Even as he shook Herc's healthy hand Raleigh's eyes searched out Chuck's, and he got a small nod in return.  
"Mister Beckett, Miss Mori!" Called a voice from behind them. The cheers died down as Pentecost made his way through. "In all my years fighting, I have never seen anything quite like that. Well done. I'm proud of you." He turned his attention outward. "I'm proud of you all! But as much as I hate to say this we have no time to celebrate and no time to mourn. Yes, we have won, but we lost two Jaegers in the process. However, we haven't lost their pilots." He paused a second to allow people to figure out what he meant. "Reset that clock!" Just as an excited muttering began it hushed again. He felt the ominous wetness of blood as Mako made the warning motion, and moved a finger up to staunch it before turning and striding away.

Louhi regarded the three of them blandly. Pentecost, Chuck and Herc stared hopefully back.  
"I can't heal that." She gestured to Herc's arm.  
"But you healed me earlier!" Chuck cried. She looked at him like he was a five year old arguing with her about quantum physics.

"Well yeah, exactly. For a start bones are super difficult to heal, even for specialised healers. I could probably speed it up a bit, but nowhere near in time for Operation Pitfall and none of you actually know anything about magic, do you?" She sighed, seeing the lost looks on their faces. "Look, because of all the fights and _saving the Rangers _even all the healers on base won't be able to heal that properly." She began to explain. "And they're specialised in healing. That means in a month they have much more magic to tap into if they use it for healing. My specialisation is movement, so although I'm good at it I have nowhere near enough power with healing. Apart from movement my defensive is second best and my attacking definitely worst."

"Hence why you fainted after freezing everyone." Pentecost realised. She looked at him flatly.  
"Yes. Thank you so much for reminding me."  
"So nobody can do anything?" Chuck checked pleadingly.  
"Sorry...but no."  
"Well when do you next recharge?" Herc questioned.  
"We're not batteries." She deadpanned. "And the day after the Lunar Peak. Which is the day after tomorrow... But we don't have that long until the end of the world. Sorry."

"Sir!" Pentecost turned to see Raleigh, who looked an inch away from biting his lip.  
"Yes, Ranger?"  
"I just wanted to know if you're feeling alright sir." He explained awkwardly.  
"I'll be fine as soon as we get this Operation finished." He raised an eyebrow. "Anything else...Raleigh?"  
"I just have one question." Pentecost looked at him expectantly. "Why did Chuck get less of a reprimand than me?" To his surprise, the Marshall didn't respond in anger. Instead he actually appeared to half smile.  
"Chuck got off lightly because I knew Louhi would give him the tongue lashing of a lifetime, which I assure you is even worse in a language you don't understand." Pentecost chuckled evilly.  
"That's it?" Raleigh checked unsurely.  
"I don't play favourites boy. Now get to LOCCENT." _You play favourites with Mako._ He thought, but didn't dare voice it.

* * *

Hermann didn't even wait for the helicopter to land. Ignoring the pilot's shout, he opened the door and slid out, making sure to land on his hand and cane to avoid provoking his leg. After a pause, the helicopter flew off, presumably to the Shatterdome. Taking a moment to dust himself off and scan the surroundings he took off down the trail of destruction.

The first hint Newt had was a smell of iron and cotton, and then a low snort before he was practically tackled.  
Hermann ran his hands expertly over Newt, assessing for any damages as the biologist stood there and blinked.  
"Hermann, what are you doing?" He finally asked.  
"Checking for any injuries you imbecilic moron."  
"I think that's a bit harsh. I didn't exactly ask to be chased by a frickin Kaiju." Newt snapped, peeling his hands off and ignoring the callouses he felt rubbing over his own smooth palms. _No getting distracted now, man_.  
"What happened to 'I want to see one alive and up close one day'?" Hermann responded waspishly.  
"Stupid me. I was being stupid, like normal." Newt waved it away.  
"Yes. You were." Hermann nodded. "When is this equipment getting here then?"  
"Soon, Hermie." Answered Newt placatingly, eyes scanning the sky. Hermann scowled but didn't say anything.  
Nothing had happened.

Yet.


End file.
